The Templars
"May the ''Father of Understanding guide us."'' :―Templar motto # The Templars, also known as the Knights Templar during the Middle Ages, are a corporate giant formed during the crusades. The Templars sought to create a perfect world, although the means by which they sought to do so were questionable. Because of this, they were the sworn enemies of the Assassin Order, who believe that Man should not be controlled by a higher power and are subject to free will, even if it means a flawed humanity. With these contrasting ideologies, the two groups have fought over the course of thousands of years for the control and fate of humanity. Ideals and goals Edit A Templar during the Third Crusade.Added by DuelisttriThe military order of the Templars was founded publicly in 1129 to counter the greatly increasing threat against the Holy Land by the Saracens, and to protect the city of Jerusalem.5 Over time, the Templars began to believe it within their power to unite the world in peace.2 Their system of belief changed greatly upon the discovery of the Pieces of Eden; the realization of the non-existence of God led the Order to become atheistic, although they publicly maintained the pretense of following the Christian ways so as to not lose the support of the Church.1 Realizing the power that the Pieces of Eden held over man, the Templars began to seek out the artifacts. In 1191, Robert de Sable, then the Grand Master of the Order, personally sought the fabled Apple of Eden, buried in the catacombs beneath Solomon's Temple.2 The theft of the piece of Eden by the Order of Assassins brought the two great powers into a sustained conflict with one another, ending with the death of Armand Bouchart in Limassol.6 Despite this setback, the Order maintained its belief in creating a world of peace through manipulation of the Pieces of Eden. By their reasoning, with no afterlife or ultimate punishment or reward after death, there was no reason to oblige notions of morality or ethics: the end always justified the means, no matter how heinous those means were. They thought that only this life was important, rather than preparing for a non-existent next life. With so many lower class people kept in line by the promise of an afterlife, and so many upper class men blissfully ignoring such ideals, the Templars vowed to make a better world; one of lasting peace, no matter what the cost.2 As time progressed, the Templars interest in the Pieces of Eden became more about seeking the power and domination that the artifacts offered. Their goals changed as they sought to control and unify the entire world using the Pieces of Eden to create a "New World Order".21 History Edit = = Middle Ages Edit Formation as a Knightly Order Edit During the Middle Ages, the Templars removed themselves from the underground and founded themselves as a Knightly Order, the Knights Templar.2 In the 1129 Council of Troyes, the Order was officially recognized by the church, and in 1139, Pope Innocent II granted them diplomatic immunity in all provinces and territories and exemption from taxes. This allowed the faction to grow in numbers, strength and wealth quickly, and as they became a larger force, their responsibilities increased accordingly: the Order's many members were prominent figures in the second crusade. Third Crusade Edit A Knight Templar battles with Altaïr.Added by MasterAssassin217''This section of the article deals specifically with the Knights Templar faction's activities during the Third Crusade. If you were looking for information on the specific enemy type in Assassin's Creed, see their article under Crusaders.'' Founded in Jerusalem in 1129, the Knights Templar sought a world at peace with itself. By 1191, they had come to the realization that such peace could only be maintained through use of the Pieces of Eden, and made it their quest to gather as many as they could.2 That same year, after the theft of the Apple of Eden by the assassins Malik A-Sayf and Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad from the Templars, the Brotherhood entered into a brief period of sustained conflict with their Assassin enemies. Over the course of the year, ten Templar leaders from both Crusader and Saracen backgrounds fell to the blades of the assassin Altaïr, who was serving penance for breaking the three tenets during the theft. The deaths included not only the Grand Master of the Order, but also Al Mualim, leader of the Order of Assassins in Syria and the only Templar not willing to share the power of the Apple with his nine brothers.2 With their leadership effectively wiped out by a single assassin, the Brotherhood retreated to the island of Cyprus under the command of a new Grand Master, Armand Bouchart. Pursued by Altaïr, the Templars were wiped out once again, although the treasures of the Templar Archive in Limassol were spirited away before they could be found.6 The death of Armand forced the Order to consider its position carefully, and by 1312 the Order had officially disbanded. In reality, the Order continued to thrive, adopting a much more secretive position in world affairs. That meant retreating into the shadows, as said in Altaïr's fabled Codex. Modern Times Edit By the 19th century, the Templars gained a significant amount of power and influence within the Russian Empire; with a number of the Tsar, including Alexander II and his son Alexander III, being Templars themselves.9 In the Tsars' possession; the Staff of Eden, granting the autocratic rulers great power over their citizens. In 1908 however, their control over the Russian Empire was greatly diminished with the destruction of the Staff in Tunguska, thanks in part to the combined efforts of Nikola Tesla1 and the Assassin Nikolai Orlov.9 Infiltrating and establishing countless corporate entities, by the 20th Century the Templars had positioned themselves within several world-defining positions, controlling whole nations and improving the planet's technological level significantly. The Templars also worked to stifle world progress however; Adolf Hitler used a Piece of Eden to rise to power in Germany, and subsequently started a world-wide conflict. He was "fought" by his Templar contemporaries Winston Churchill, Joseph Stalin, and Franklin D. Roosevelt, who under the guise of the Allied nations ultimately won the conflict, despite having planned the war all along, and orchestrating the peace that would follow.1 Desmond held captive by Abstergo Industries.Added by Crashdude55By the early 21st Century, the Templar fronted Abstergo Industries had expanded into a global entity, far larger and more powerful than most companies that had come before it.1 For the most part this was not treated as suspicious, although there were those within the general population who viewed the company with suspicion,2 believing it to be "too large" a company.1 During this time, the Templars had access to a number of Pieces of Eden, however, the actions of the Assassins, coupled with the DIA Satellite Accident forced the Templars into stepping up the Animus-project, in the hope of finding another Piece capable of controlling the minds of humanity. By September of 2012, sixteen test subjects had been "retired" before the company succeeded with the seventeenth – Desmond Miles, the descendant of both Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad, and Ezio Auditore da Firenze.21 Captured, for seven days Miles was forced to relieve the memories of his ancestor Altaïr in order to reach one specific memory the Templars were seeking. The memory registered the moment his ancestor found a holographic map containing the locations of all Pieces of Eden scattered across the world. With the information they had long sought in hand, the Templars set about gathering the remaining Pieces to ensure "absolute peace", although they soon found themselves in a race against the Assassin Order to obtain the Pieces first.1 They planned to send a satellite with a Piece mounted on it into orbit, with the launch scheduled on December 21, 2012.2 Members Edit :Main article: List of known Templars Templar groups Edit There are groups who act as unofficial divisions of the Templars, unrelated to them publicly, but in fact commanded by Templars (some of them through the membership of their leaders and others are part of the Templar Order itself) **Abstergo Industries: modern company that works in secret to create the New World. **NASA: a governmental company that created the Apollo missions to retrieve an Apple of Eden from the Moon. **Ford Motor Company: an automobile company founded by Henry Ford, in the hands of the Templars until Ford's death. The Historical Templars Edit Depiction of TemplarsAdded by Ghhllkkg1:"Non nobis Domine, non nobis, sed Nomini Tuo da Gloriam (''Latin for "Not to us God, not to us, but to Your Name Give Glory")"'' :―Historical motto of the Templars Ordre du Temple in French, the Knights Templar are amongst the most famous of the Western Christian military orders involved in the war. They are well known by the distinctive white mantles with a red cross. Officially endorsed by the Roman Catholic Church around 1129, the Order became a favored charity throughout Christianity, and grew rapidly in membership. Despite losing their interests in Outremer, they still had financial holdings in Europe, but King Philip IV of France deceived Pope Clement V into disbanding the Knights Templar, to serve his own agenda. The Order's Knights either fled, were executed, or absorbed into other orders like the Knights Hospitalier. The Portuguese branch changed their names to Knights of Christ. They were among the most skilled fighters at the time, which is reflected in the game. Their ruthlessness against non-Catholics was also infamous; this also is reflected in the game. The real, full name of the Knights Templars: "Poor Knights of Christ and the Temple of Solomon in Jerusalem" or ''"Pauperes commilitones Christi templique Salomonici Hierosalemitanis" ''in Latin. Category:Organizations